Almost There
by QueXseraXsera
Summary: Aravis and Cor from the book "The Horse and His Boy" have arrived in "Narnia and the North", but Aravis finds it hard to let go of the life she lost. Aravis/Cor in later chapters!
1. Beginning the journey

**Chapter 1: Beginning the Journey**

It was quiet in the garden. Only the wind dared to stir the warm air in the Tisroc's lush oasis of flora and fauna. All I could hear, however, was my heart thumping in my chest. Even Lasaraleen had stopped her prattling for a moment. We had both very nearly escaped with our lives. And it was almost funny, in that sickening sort of way, that I had never expected this when I set out for Narnia and my so-called adventure. I had expected the g-ds themselves to kowtow to my status. After all, I was of a noble bloodline descended directly from Tash, how could I suffer? How, indeed, when there were scores of slaves to bear the brunt of the whip. But I had forgotten that I was not a Tarkheena anymore. And the g-ds, as they always do in tales of old, had shown me that I was no more than a playing piece in a game that was far greater than I could ever imagine. I reached the gate, and looked back at Lasaraleen. She stood apart from me; this was the part where she couldn't continue. Her eyes looked at me pityingly. To her, this was all a fool's errand. She could not understand why I was running from this life.

"And you could have been the wife of a Grand Vizier" she said, shaking her head, silly tears moistening her eyes.

She couldn't see Ahosta's meaningless flattery, couldn't see the greedy gleam in his eyes when the Tisroc spoke to him of his murderous plans. I looked at the golden spires of the Tisroc's palace. It was like a house of cards, waiting to crumble with the slightest brush, an empire built on treachery and lies. But it was home. It was what my brother had fought for until his dying breath. Here, before me lay all I had ever known. My allegiance had been bound to the man who let his son call for war with an innocent country, not caring if his son lived or died on his quest. Oh yes, I knew this land, knew it all too well. My eyes traced over the palace's lavish decorations and swept over the lush garden.

_It might have been a paradise. _

If I stopped now, I could still go back. I could still be the wife of a Grand Vizier, could still follow the familiar path. The safe one. I allowed myself these delusions for a moment. For I knew that even if I did bathe in asses' milk and had those ropes of pearls, they would mean nothing to me in comparison with the only thing I had ever wanted, my freedom. But Narnia was so far away. I was not sure if I could get there, and was even less sure of what I would do if I _did_ get there. At my feet lay everything I could have been, everything that I could _be_ if I stayed. At my back lay the uncertainty of a half-formed escape plan. It would've once been easy for me to decide between the two.

_You could've been the wife of a Grand Vizier._

Lasaraleen's words repeated in my mind. It was less of a promise of happiness than Narnia, some country I had scarcely heard of. And though I was no longer almost royalty, I stood up as straight as any princess.

""Good-bye. And I thought your dresses lovely. And I think your house is lovely. I'm sure you'll have a lovely life—though it wouldn't suit me."

My eyes alighted on the glistening spires of the Tisroc's palace, and then on the full moon in all its glory. And just like that the doubt drained away. I turned away from the Tisroc's palace. I stood with the world stretched out before me and the confines of a life that had been chosen for me at my back.

_I could be anything I wanted._

This thought, and this thought only, led me to the Tombs of the Ancient Kings, where I tried very hard not to think of the ghouls that I might happen on.


	2. Palace Life

**A/N:** Sorry! This one's short. But originally this story was going to be a oneshot so this chapter is lucky to be here. :)

**Chapter 2: Palace Life**

Shasta was there. Of course he would be. He was the rash that kept coming back; the fly that you could never quite shoo away. I nodded at him in greeting. It was too early for meaningless pleasantries. He looked relieved to see us. How long had he been here, in the darkness, where ghouls were said to lurk, all alone? Compassion struck me as suddenly as a lightning bolt. We had both been trying to act brave in the planning of this, but none of us were. Not the horses, scared at the mere presence of lions, and not us, frightened by legends of ghouls. And yet, we were off for a land we hadn't seen, which promised us everything on a journey which cost us nearly that much. A little fear was more than allowed, I think. And before anyone could speak either of lions, ghouls, or glory, the courageous sort we would feel upon our arrival in Narnia, we were off.

And then just like that we were there. Sure, the horses had been running for their lives and I had screamed at the feel of a lion's claws on my back. But journeys always seem so much shorter when they are over. Even ones which I thought would never end. We had reached "Narnia and the North". And Shasta, or rather Cor, was no longer a peasant son of a fisherman, but a prince. And I was a guest in his grand palace. Oh, how the roles had shifted. But, Lucy and the others were all that was amiable, I reminded myself. And it _was_ a palace, certainly better than the life Cor had been living. As for the life I had been living… _Of course it was,_ I thought, stifling any doubt. Ahosta was ugly and his actions despicable. It galled me not to be in control, but I had to be calm about this. Surely I should have been used to my status by now. It had been years since I had received the invitation from Cor, awkwardly dressed up in finery. We were both seventeen now, much, much older than we were when we had met.

"Aravis?" I turned to face my doorway, in which stood Cor. Despite his lack of royal arrogance, he looked every inch the prince. His chest and shoulders had broadened with age and he was now taller than me by at least five inches. "You might want to hear this."


	3. Story's Changed

**A/N: **Hello all! This took a lot longer than expected, but you can blame my summer homework for that. :P Anyways, as my brain has practically melted with the analysis of King Lear and Equus, please over look any gramatical errors. This chapter came out a little bit more intense than I intended, but it gets happier, I promise!

**Chapter 3: Story's Changed**

"What?" I asked. Cor was hardly ever solemn; it didn't quite suit him. He never was the serious type, always preferring to laugh at something, usually me. But his sunny demeanor had disappeared behind a cloud of uncertainty that fell over his features.

"It's about your family," he said somewhat cautiously. This was because the only time I had seen my family ended badly, to say the least. I turned away from him for a moment, embarrassed at how wet my eyes had suddenly become. I could almost hear my father's voice, his tense tone slicing through all my efforts at making our reunion a happy one.

_A disobedient daughter is not a daughter at all._

"Are they okay?" I asked turning to face him my eyes now sweeping his face. This must be bad news, but only his expression would tell the extent of it. Even now I trusted Cor's face, which was honest and open. His mouth was in a tight line, but there was nothing else in his expression to indicate that anything drastic had happened. I let out the breath that I didn't know I had held.

"Yes, but your father….he's leading an army into Archenland."

"Their forces never could defeat us."

"They don't want to wage war. He's asking for a duel with my father."

"Why? He hasn't fought anyone since my brother died."

"I don't know. Father says that he made some mention of honor or something, but I don't remember the exact words." Now things made sense. Even if my father hated me for not marrying Ahosta, he still would care about his honor. No one who had been brought up a Tarkaan (or for that matter a Tarkheena) could pretend that they weren't motivated by that single word. For how else did we gain our power, if it not were the honor and glory that had been bestowed upon our families by Tash himself?

"Well, your father isn't fighting, is he?"

"I don't know. He thinks it unwise, especially at his age, but he can't refuse a challenge. He's mad to accept the duel, but he might. So what do we do?" I shook my head in confusion.

"If only Bree or Hwin were here. Bree would know some sort of strategy and Hwin was always so practical…"

"Do we really need the horses to figure this out?" Cor said with a rueful smile. "I can't believe that. Surely a prince and a Tarkheena can figure this one out."

"You're the one with a prince's education. It's not like a Tarkheena learns how to plan for war." I said in a mock accusatory tone. "The only thing I can think of is to wage war, but it's my father and we shouldn't risk our men's lives for his foolishness."

"Perhaps if we—." Cor was cut off as a servant appeared at the door. Cor stepped aside and the servant breathlessly gave his message.

"Prince Cor, Lady Aravis. Soldiers have broken into the palace. Prince Corin and King Lune are fighting them off, but surprise was on their side. They are making their way toward your apartments.

"This makes no sense. If they wanted loot, they could have headed for the treasure chamber below the banquet hall."

"It is not a king's ransom they want, your highness. It is a prince's."

Cor and I exchanged glances of horror. Whatever formless plans we had were now useless. We were just as clueless now, as we were at the beginning of this journey. As I was raised as almost royalty, I regained my composure quicker than Cor.

"We have to leave. Now." I spoke calmly, using only meaningful words. Any fear that I might have had at the thought of Cor's capture

"I can't leave them," Cor's face paled at my command, but his voice remained strong. "My father and brother are there. They need me."

"You'll be no use to them as a captive."

"I have to try," he said harshly, desperation leaking into his brave tone. "I won't be a coward and run away."

"I know what they mean to you," I said softly. "But you can come back and bring reinforcement." I moved to the window and put my feet over the edge. "Are you with me?" And with one fleeting glance to the doorway and the servant he followed me out the window, grasping the trail of jutting out stones until he reached bottom.

"We'd better keep to the North," he said before sprinting ahead of me. I ran after him and athletic as I was, I could barely keep up. I heard hoofbeats behind us and almost turned to look but Cor spoke again. Had the soldiers caught up with us

"Don't look back," he said "It'll slow you down." We sped up our pace, but the hoofbeats increased in speed until they were almost at our backs. I sped up as fast as humanly possible and for some reason I remembered when Hwin and I had tried to run away from Aslan, oblivious to his true identity. I now knew her terror; she had galloped as fast as she could, but the lion overtook us. I looked at Shasta who was running just as fast as I was, who had the same fear mirrored in his eyes. _Oh Aslan, what do you have in store for us now?_

"Woah there, little humans," said a familiar voice behind us. Bree and Hwin cantered at a faster pace alongside us. "Need a ride?"


	4. Don't Shoot the Messenger

**Author's Note**: Hello all my lovely readers! I am so sorry for the wait, I had a mild case of writer's block. But now I'm up and running! I just want to thank everyone for the reviews and everyone who's put me on the story alert list. It brigtens my day. So onward to the story...

**Chapter 4: Don't Shoot the Messenger**

"Can't," Shasta panted. "Your freedom-."

"That doesn't matter in a time of war, old chap. Besides I'm free to give you a ride now. Come on. Just for old times' sake."

We mounted the horses in a hurry and they galloped off. I turned around for one last glance of the palace. We would be back, I told myself. We would ride in and save them all. I turned around and blinked to clear my head. When I opened my eyes, they met with Cor's.

"Back on the saddle again," he said in one of his classic attempts at humor.

A ghost of a smile crossed my lips. And despite the doubt in my mind and the horrid turn of events, it struck me as natural this easy rhythm of things. The hoofbeats of the horses and us heading towards Narnia and the north were so similar.

"Well I'm sure Bree is glad don't ride nearly as bad as you did before," I replied with a slight smirk.

"I could mount haystacks very well, thank you very much," he said with all the fake airs that only a real prince could affect. "I could impress all the courtiers with my famous charges at the other offending haystacks." My heart tightened at his words. Oh, how I wished that it was only the haystacks that were the enemy. And I wondered, as I always did, how could Cor forget about this mess an instant later? To turn it around into a type of fun that we couldn't have any more. We were simply too old to be the kids we once were, escaping our lives and riding toward freedom. Now, we understood war. It was not a scuffle causing one to scrape the skin off one's knuckles. It was a fight to protect the home that had grown on me so much that turning my back on it was unthinkable. And yet... Even though it was wrong, he was still my father. It was just that somewhere along the line, he had morphed into the face of the enemy.

"Do you ever miss that fisherman you were with?" I wondered aloud to Cor. He looked at me as though I was insane. I had forgotten that we had just been talking about haystacks and fun. Fun that I was not sure I could really have anymore, not without a pang of longing for times that were lost to me forever.

" I suppose. I used to think about him sometimes," he said, still looking at me carefully. Dark shapes passed by us and I knew we had to be somewhat close to Narnia by now. "I hoped that Tarkaan didn't punish him for my escape. But it's just as Aslan says. That's his story. I wish the best for him, though. And the Tarkaan. I can't imagine where I would be without them both." He smiled at this, as if thinking of how strange and miraculous fate was. His happiness, was that even possible when King Lune and Corin were somewhere far behind us fighting for their lives? Was it even possible for him to forget about the land that he had lived in almost as long as I had?

"Oh," I said, berating myself for my stupidity. Of course he wouldn't miss the firsherman. Calormene wasn't his true home. Just like it hadn't been mine. But those words didn't sound true, even in my head. I couldn't imagine a life without Archenland, or the horses, or Cor, but neither could I escape the feeling of homesickness. It was years too late, I knew. But Calormene was my home, it had always been. It was in my manners, in my heritage, and now it was stuck in my mind.

"You're not homesick, are you, Aravis?" Cor asked looking at me suspiciously, wondering at my silence.

"Of course not," I said arranging my features into a haughty expression, as if shocked by his impertinence. Though, he probably couldn't see my expression too well because of the dark.

"If you were, though," he said his eyes occasionally flicking to my face. He knew me too well. And he knew, as well as I tried not to, that the arrogance I put on was always to cover something up. "It wouldn't be bad. Bree still wishes he were the same war horse, right Bree?" Bree acquiesced to this, panting in between each couple of words. But even Bree's home was in Narnia, originally. All _he_ missed was the status and the battles. I broke myself out of my melancholy humor. Now was no time to be thinking of stupid thoughts. It wasn't as if I could go back and change things. This was fixed, and I had decided my destiny the minute I left. War left no time for foolish wishes.

I saw a dark, solid shape looming closer. Cor and I urged the horses onward. We both knew that this was the castle. The moment of truth. And my mind was only thinking of our message as Cor and I dismounted and raced to the castle doors. We pleaded with the guards to let us inside. They did so, albeit warily. In the back of my head, this surprised me. I assumed, though, that this was because they knew our news was bad. I mean, if the Prince of Archenland and a lady of the court show up in the middle of the night it must be important, right? The doors swung open.

"Archenland—." Cor began, but his words stopped as suddenly as if they had been dropped off a cliff. Goodness knows, my stomach certainly felt as if it had too, been dropped of the same cliff.

"Hello darling," Lasaraleen said in her voice dripping with grandeur, from where she lounged on the High King's throne. "It was so good of you to stop by."


	5. Pro Patria Mori

Chapter 5: Pro patria mori

**Author's Note: **OMG! I suprised even myself with this quick update. I was sick and I basically wrote this whole chapter, excepting the last paragraph, over the weekend. But it just didn't seem finished. Oh btw, the title means to die for your country (the translation is a little off, but whatever). I hope you guys enjoy this new chapter of "Almost There" ( which suprisingly still fits with the actual summary of it :D).

I suppose if I was Lasaraleen, I would've fainted. Yet, I remained horribly conscious so I was able to hear the ominous sound of the doors locking behind me. I was able to see the stoic faces of the numerous guards Lasaraleen had posted around the room. Even worse, I was able to see the ghoulish leer of Ahosta as he sat beside Lasaraleen. His skin sagged and his hump had gotten more pronounced in his old age. My mind still struggled to comprehend this turn of events. Hadn't we always beaten them, even against all odds? How could it be possible, with Aslan on our side no less, to have Narnia taken over? I turned to Cor. His mouth gaped open and closed like a fish.

"Well, Aravis, I am surprised at you," said Lasaraleen. "You didn't even say hello. I'm doing very well in case you were wondering."

"If it's me you want; I'll go willingly," I said my heart in my throat, as I stepped forward.

"You didn't have to make this much of a fuss, Lasaraleen." Cor came forward to stop me, but I swiftly stepped out of his way.

"Oh, you couldn't possibly think we'd go to all this trouble just to capture you. Oh, my dear, you always were a strange girl. No, you see, your little rulers decided to tour around the islands toward the east. And we didn't think you could have any use for the messenger, not like us, of course." Suddenly I noticed a man in an official courier's uniform struggling against a group of guards in the corner. A thrill of fear went through me, but I spoke with the same false bravado I had a minute before.

"Well that's the only reason you and Ahosta would be here, so it's not much of a strange idea."

"I do believe you're jealous, Aravis," Lasaraleen cooed, stroking Ahosta's wrinkled face. The torchlight reflected off them to make it seem as if _they_ were the creatures I had once been scared of at the Tombs. "But you are sorely mistaken. Ahosta is _my_ husband, now. I thought you might of heard of our wonderful wedding. But then, you never did pay attention to the people who mattered, did you, Aravis?"

"Why are you here?" said Cor, finding his voice at last. Of course, Cor could only guess at Lasaraleen's connection to me. To him, she was just another power-grabbing Tarkheena.

"Oh! Is this your husband, Aravis? Well I must say, for a girl who has lost her senses, you seem to have done very well in the marriage department. But that's not what you asked, is it? Well, let's see. I'm here in Narnia because I am now its ruler. I am quite a favorite of Rabadash's, you know. Indeed, I was the first person he thought of for the job. Ahosta and I are _very_ respected at the palace now, that the little skirmish between Narnia and Calormene is quite forgotten," At this Ahosta whispered in Lasaraleen's ear and I shuddered to think of him that close to the girl who used to be my dear friend. "Oh dear! I do seem to have forgotten my point. You see, Aravis, what you and your husband seem to have forgotten is that Calormene never simply gives up. We had to avenge our precious Rabadash. And you two are conveniently, the first two we plan to bring back as evidence of our success. Guards? Arrest them!" The guards sprang to life and grabbed us. Cor fought them off valiantly, but he wasn't a match for these numbers. I, too, gave the guards a decent struggle, but in the end Cor and I were both subdued. I hadn't even got the chance to correct Lasaraleen about Cor being not my husband. Instead, we were violently dragged to a boat.

_It must be leaving for Calormene_ I thought and my struggles increased at the thought of leaving Corin and King Lune behind. And, if the grunts of the guards next to me were any indication, Cor was doing the same thing.. However, any power we might have gained over the guards was lost as soon as we were thrown- rather harshly, I might add—in a lower cabin with our hands and feet tied up.

"Hey!" Cor yelled at the guards. Yet, all he heard in response was the loud slamming of the cabin door. "Let us out!"

"It's no use," I said with as close to a shrug as I could get with my arms tied behind my back.

"I don't understand" he said his normally calm tone, injected with frustration. "How could they do this? Didn't everyone think Rabadash was a fool for attacking us?"

"I know," I said "Lasaraleen even helped me escape. Something tells me that Ahosta's behind this. He was the man I was supposed to marry. All he wants is power, the power that could be gained by conquering Narnia."

"We've got to get out of this. My dad and brother—," he trailed off, and only the desperation in his eyes, showed the meaning of the words he left off. "Well you know that. But then what? What are they going to do with us in Calormene?"

"Well they won't kill us," I said bluntly. Both he and I knew that was the main threat to saving King Lune and Corin. "If I know Ahosta, they'll probably try to humiliate us in some way. He, especially, would love to see me and the _prince_ of Archenland brought down low."

"I can't believe it," Cor said quietly. "This was too well planned. How did they know? How could Aslan let the High King and his brother and sisters go, at our weakest point?" I shook my head wordlessly. This plan had treachery sown down so deep in it that even we couldn't get to the bottom of it.

It was hard to sleep when you were held captive. It was even harder if the place of your imprisonment was a boat and you were no more suited to be a sailor than a prince was suited to be a prisoner. I wasn't sure if my stomach clenched out of seasickness or fear. Or even guilt. The guilt that, despite the horrible circumstances, a tiny part of me was glad to see my home. I wanted to know what was changed, and who had married who, and what everyone I knew as a child now looked like. The moonlight shone in through the cabin window, lighting up Cor's sleeping face. This increased the sick feeling in my stomach. Of course he never thought of Calormene, he had no ties to it except the father figure, who really had been more fisherman than father, who sold him into slavery.

_And I had no ties to it except for an _actual_ father who had arranged for me another type of slavery_, said a voice within the back of my mind. But a father was a father. A home was a home. No matter how corrupt, no matter how many mistakes either one made. I knew that now. I thought of that moment, years ago, where my eyes had traced each spire of the Tisroc's palace, which was lit by the same moonlight that crept into the cabin now. Now my eyes traced Cor's face and heard the whistle of his breath as he breathed in and out. I thought of King Lune, who immediately accepted me into the palace, simply insisting that I become part of his family. I thought of Queen Lucy, who had first shown me to my room and how she and Queen Susan and I had whispered about all the girly matters that I had missed growing up. Even Corin, the boxer, had treated me like the little sister he never had. To him, I was annoying, but always worth saving. Wasn't that just as much as a home as the one I had left? Wasn't it full of people who loved me as much, if not more, than my actual blood relations? Isn't that worth fighting for, worth saving? I thought of my younger self. It had taken the space of a moment to decide which home was worth seeking. But I was older now and somehow that tipped the scales in a different direction.

_It would've once been easy for me to decide between the two._ The thought from a girl who seemed to have existed in a long lost fairytale, floated down to me from the deep recesses of my memory. Maybe it was easier to decide this time. We were already heading there anyway. Who knows if we'd ever return or if Archenland, or if the people that we cared about would even be there when we got back? My mouth twisted into a wry smile, the kind of expression your face makes where you don't actually feel like smiling. Perhaps, this was fate. The same fate that had landed Cor and I in Archenland was now taking us back. The ship had made my decision for me, forcibly turning my face back to Calormene and my back towards the lands of the North. My eyes found Cor's face again. It was so peaceful, oblivious of the struggle of leaving home. His heart would always be in Archenland. And I knew, right then, that this was more than homesickness. It was a deep and desperate wanting of what had been and could never be again. I missed those times in Calormene, playing with my brother, having my father look at me with pure love in his eyes, and feeling safe. There was never a question of home. But things were different. My seventeen years seemed to hang on me as if I were playing dress-up in adult clothes that were many sizes too big. All the responsibilities I had pooled around me like endless folds of fabric on the floor. And I couldn't live like this, tied down to two nations with each one holding me in a stranglehold of unfulfilled promises. I sighed and for a moment brushed away the cares of each country. Just this once I would allow myself a tiny moment of selfishness.

_I'm sorry_ I thought, looking at Cor. Saying it would make it too real, too irrevocable. _I think of Calormene more than you'll ever know. I can't turn my back on it, even here even now. I'm not sure I can fight against it. _

Cor slept on, blissfully unaware, with that same rhythm of breathing, whistling in and out. I felt almost as relieved as he looked. Somehow I felt freer, being held willingly captive heading toward a country that I missed. My stomach still bothered me, but that could be explained away as the remnants of seasickness. But it wasn't nausea that kept me awake. It was the moon, peeking in the cabin windows. In a tired daze I watched moonbeams slither around the cabin. Right before I closed my eyes the shape of one particular spot of moonlight caught my eye. The shape wasn't soft or fluid like the other moonbeams; instead it morphed into the rough shape of a lion. I closed my eyes and knew that it wasn't Aslan. Of course not. Why would he be here, now? Why, indeed when he had utterly deserted us? Surely my little shift in loyalties would mean nothing to him. Sometimes the mind plays tricks on us, showing us stupid blobs of light that are never meant to be anything. And sometimes signs like these can have a much greater meaning than anyone could ever see.


	6. Back to the Beginning

**Author's Note: **

I'm sorry! I hate when authors never update and leave me in a lurch, so I feel your pain :D . I have many excuses for not updating the best ones being college applications and writer's block. Oh, also I forgot Aravis's father's name so I made it up. But hey at least it's here and-ooh look!-it's long. Ta da!

Chapter 6: Back to the Beginning

I knew before even waking up that it was going to be one of _those_ mornings. Honestly, I'm not sure why I was so nervous. The only person I had to face was Cor and he could never be considered difficult company, no matter how much I liked to assert the contrary. And there was only a slight chance of being forced to greet Ahosta and Lasraleen and they were old foes. Well, Lasraleen was new as an enemy, but I had never really liked her anyway. From my uncomfortable spot on the floor all I could see was Cor's booted feet pacing the confines of our small cabin like a caged lion. This nervous behavior was unlike him, he was normally one to be painfully positive. His anxiety increased my sense of misgiving.

"You awake?" was all he said while glancing at my sitting form.

"You okay?" I said with a slight edge of cautiousness to my tone.

"Yeah," he said tersely. "I'm just trying to figure this out is all."

"Don't. You'll just make yourself crazy. Plus we already know all the gory details."

"It's not that. I just can't believe he left us."

"Who? The High King?"  
"No," Cor looked at me in exasperation. "Aslan."

"He didn't leave us," I said without as much honesty as I would've liked. I, too, was unsure of the Great Lion's plan. But who could ever tell about things like that? He was a beast and beasts didn't stick around with humans forever.

"What do you call this?" Cor stopped pacing and gestured to the room. Every spot of dirt seemed magnified and it seemed to almost shrink under his disapproving gaze.

"Nothings happened yet," I said. "We could still escape."

"You of all people know that they are the sort of Calormene who will stop at nothing to get what they want."

"It's not Calormenes. It's Ahosta; he's evil."

"Not just him. Arsheesh, the fisherman, sold me into slavery. That Tarkaan was bad news, too. And that Tisroc? Aravis, you heard him yourself; he was plotting to kill his own son!"  
"But that was just them," I said slowly. "And _I'm_ a Calormene, too, Cor. I always will be."

"But you're different."

"Yes, but it's a wonderful country with wonderful people. It's just I couldn't stay."

"Well, yes. But even if they do have some speck of good in them we don't have any help from Aslan."

"Aslan never helped us outright, though," I pointed out. "He always led us to find our own decisions. Now that we know him, he'll be even more subtle about his clues."

"What was wrong with peace?" Cor said softly as he slumped down into a seat the floor from where he stood.

"I don't know. I wanted peace, too." At my words one corner of Cor's mouth twitched upward.

"Well that makes two of us. We are quite the army."

"Yes, they should fear us. The bolt of Aslan flies out from capture," I said mimicking Rabadash's statement from our first battle.

"Fear you?" Lasraleen's imposing yet luxurious voice floated in from the doorway. Her voice was injected with fake boredom and real condescension. "Why, my dears, we could hardly fight you with you in such a deplorable state. Thank heavens Narnia is ours. We shall have much work to do with it when we're through with you."

"Why are you here?" I asked glaring at her with annoyance. Her affected nature was hard to take at the best of times and she had yet to explain what her plans for us were.

"To present you to my adoring public. Quite a crowd has gathered, actually. Everyone wants to see foolish Northern barbarians brought down low. And of course, traitors." Here she smiled a self-satisfied grin at me. I stared back at her. _If you only knew_.

"Lead us out," Cor said standing up tall and straight. Lasraleen only smiled a small smile and stepped out the cabin and onto the deck. My first thought was how nice fresh air was when being kept in a cabin for the better part of a night. However, my eyes soon found the crowd, hungry for humiliation. Looking back on the deck, I searched for Cor and my eyes alighted on his face. He wore an inscrutable expression. Then suddenly he turned to me.

"You with me?" he murmured. This was for my ears only. And suddenly it was easier, if only a little, to pretend to be brave. Because it was Cor and we had done this before. I was the arrogant Tarkheena and he was the brave boy who always was a prince.

"Of course," I said, the haughtiness coming into my voice as if on cue. "And you aren't?"

"No way. I've been a slave before, Tarkheena, remember? _You _haven't." Cor used my title only to tease me. It was his way of saying that everything was going to be fine. The guards pushed us down the gangplank and we walked in front of the litter. In front of the slaves even. We were special, I suppose being prisoners of war and all. A thrill of fear shot through me. I remembered my father telling stories to my brother about what happened to prisoners of war and traitors. Of course, I was never meant to listen to these things at such a young age, but I had been eavesdropping. He spoke of being boiled in oil and chopped up in little pieces so that Tash couldn't find your spirit. He also spoke of high ranking traitors, such as Tarkaans, and how they were beaten or any number of horrible things before they begged to be put to death. I stood up a little straighter in my fright and somehow my hand found Cor's arm. He looked at me questioningly for a second, until he saw the fear in my eyes.

"The celebrations are rather poor for a prince and a tarkheena. Why anyone would expect us to get our own litter. But I suppose you wouldn't be satisfied if the guards at every corner did not jump up and salute," he said loudly, but for mostly my own benefit. A teasing smile played across his lips as he spoke. He was remembering the first time we crossed through the city as peasants.

"I supposed we should be glad for a straight pathway through the market," I said trying to muster up some false bravado.

"I can't believe you are actually defending our lack of ceremony. If your twelve year old self were here she'd throw a right tantrum."

"She would-I would not," I said getting distracted from my unhappy thoughts. "I would've been mad, that's all. Not like you sulking about with the horses at the start of our journey."  
"I'd prefer sulking to screaming when all's said and done."  
"I was a Tarkheena! I'd keep my composure." And just like that, the banter started and I was carried away in a river of laughs. And the people who were boiled in oil didn't matter somehow because they weren't here with us. The teasing talk carried us all the way into the Tisroc's palace. I marveled at its splendor. It was the same as I had left it all those years ago. A pang of nostalgia went through my heart, but I shook my head to focus on other things. Apparently the Tisroc was in his grand throne room upstairs. Each step increased my nerves, but I had long ago released Cor's arm. I didn't want to grab it again; he needn't think me a total baby. I remembered the fear that united Lasraleen and I as we had climbed upstairs all those years ago. Even all those years ago, she had been selfish in her fright and my head had stuck out to the side of the couch, but still we hadn't been caught.

"Aravis," Cor's harsh whisper brought me back to reality at the door of the throne room.

"What?" I turned to him.

"Ladies first," he motioned for me to go through the door. I entered and there sat the Tiroc, even fatter and covered with more glittering baubles. Just in time I remembered myself and curtsied in the Calormene style. Cor walked next to me and gave a respectful bow. Then suddenly the both of us were pushed to our knees by the guards who had escorted us here.

"Prisoners should show proper respect for their master." The Tisroc's voice was grave and it shocked me to think I had heard this same man kill his own son. Though I knew we wouldn't be killed, I doubted he would refuse torture. "I am the master of all lands now. Tell me, girl. Before you brough dishonor and shame upon your family were you not a daughter of Rasheesh, Tarkaan of the Western Province?"  
"Yes, O most venerable Tisroc," borrowing a phrase I had heard from Ahosta. Flattery could hardly hurt at this point.

"You are twice cursed from Tash for your foolishness. Calormene is a great and powerful nation, but you left us when we were weak. We shall not make the same mistake twice." I knew that he was referring to both their loss in battle to Narnia and the mistake of letting me go to the other side.

"And you, boy, are you not the prince of Archenland?"

"Yes O most…gracious Tisroc," Cor said, stumbling with the Calormene terms of respect

"Now you will be shown firsthand an example of our power and glory. The boy will be taken down to be questioned using heavy force. And the girl will be executed as a traitor."


End file.
